Match Report – Newcastle Vikings @ Northumberland Lightning 26.04.15

Last Sunday saw Northumberland Lightnings second NFC North II game against of the season against the Newcastle Vikings and it proved to be a very difficult day for the Lightning, as they were comprehensively beaten by the Vikings 79-0 in a one sided encounter at Ashington Rugby Club.

Vikings started powerfully, with Anthony Sowerby the main target for their rushing game, scoring 3 times in the first quarter to contribute to an early 20 points on the board.

With the Lightning struggling, the Vikings capitalized in the second quarter to score an emphatic 38 points as their passing game began to pay dividends, in particular a 65 yard TD pass to Chris Middlemass from Nick Whitehead, followed by a 43 yard TD pass to Junior McDonald, also from Whitehead helping the Vikings finish the first half at 58-0.

The disappointment and frustration was obvious from the Lightning, who risked being further humbled in the second half, however the next two quarters failed to live up to the high scoring first half.

Credit to Steve Graham

Middlemass added another TD catch in the third quarter, followed by a Matt Caley rush for 12 yards as the Lightning conceded 14 points, before holding the visitors to one final TD in the fourth quarter, with Whitehead rushing for 35 yards to complete the rout.

Credit to Steve Graham

The Vikings have now racked up 125 points and only conceded 8 in their opening two games, setting up a mouth watering clash with the West Coast Trojans in their next fixture.

But it’s two shutouts against the Lightning who have no time to rest and need to bounce back in a difficult away fixture next weekend against the Dundee Hurricanes.

Game highlights can be seen on YouTube by clicking HERE (Full credit to zxspectrumgames4 for the footage)